Kaede Rukawa
Rukawa Kaede is, in many ways, the opposite of Sakuragi - attractive to girls, skilled at basketball, and very cold and unfeeling. The only traits they share are that they are not academically inclined and good fighters. He regards Sakuragi as an idiot, and is not shy about calling him an idiot to his face - actually, he knows Sakuragi can put his talents to a better use, but is ashamed to see the immaturity with which he deals with things. His hobby is sleeping, and is usually seen asleep whenever he's not on the court; he can even ride his bike while asleep. Waking Rukawa from a nap is considered unforgivable, since he will almost automatically beat up the culprit. Unsurprisingly, he has also been in his fair share of off-court fights, but can hold his own. Rukawa's goal is to be the best high school player in Japan, and he considers Sendoh of Ryonan to be his greatest rival. Rukawa is extremely good at basketball, and possesses a wide range of skills to complement his height, athleticism and drive to win. Despite being merely a first-year high school player, he is the undisputed ace of Shohoku's team. In the Kanagawa Inter-high Tournament, he was named one of the top five players, the only first year player so honored. He has managed to change the course of many games, such as when he single-handedly brought Shohoku back from a double-digit deficit against Kainan. He even managed to continue in the game against Toyotama despite losing the vision in one eye due to an intentional foul and could take free throws with his eyes closed. However, his style was criticized as being too selfish, and he sometimes comes into conflict with his teammates for various reasons; this was one of the reasons why Coach Anzai refused to give him his blessing when Rukawa told him that he intended to go to the USA, and told him to become the best in Japan before he even thought of it. When he was outplayed by Sawakita during the match against Sannoh Technical, though, he realized that he had to change his style and pass the ball. It was his pass that led to Hanamichi's buzzer-beating shot, winning the match. Rukawa is subsequently named a member of the All-Japan basketball team. Abilities At first, many noticed Rukawa's potential to be a future basketball star. Ryonan's Head Coach Taoka was surprised that Rukawa was just a freshman. He noted that at such a young age, Rukawa has what it takes to be a high school basketball team ace. According to Sendoh, his speed and athleticism combined with his drive to win and explosive strength, he is unstoppable on the court. He was able to continue the match against Toyotama even with just one eye, by shooting free throws with his eyes closed. His abilities were so great that he was able to play on equal footing against Toyotama's Minami and Ryonan's Sendoh. One player even quoted that he's almost the same level as Sawakita Eiji, The Number 1 High School Basketball Player as he was able to push Sawakita to the moment that the latter burst out his true abilities. Coach Takato of Kainan was even impressed with Rukawa as he was able to outscore the whole Kainan team in the last stages of the first half against Shohoku. His defensive skills are also not to be reckoned with as he was able to produce steals and clean blocks. In the match against Shoyo, he was able to block Toru Hanagata from behind then starting a fast break on the other end. Trivia * When Shohoku was fighting Kainan when it was on the second quarter, Rukawa was tired and Sakuragi was the one that had the rebond Rukawa cheered for Sakuragi. *He never seems to notice that Haruko has a crush on him. *When he told the reason why he went Shohoku high school is because it's near his house. *When Sakuragi has a funny part Rukawa also joins in and calls him idiot or stupid. Category:Shohoku High School basketball team Category:Characters